Nollywood films need more exhibition opportunities

As Nollywood continues to face the challenge of distribution Joy Odiete, chief executive officer of Blue Pictures Entertainment speaking at the Filmmakers’ Forum organised by the Nollywood Studies Centre addressed the need for more exhibition opportunities in the industry.

With just 102 cinema locations serving a population of over 220 million people as of 2024 and the partial exit of major international streaming platforms in that same year, Odiete has addressed the need for a sustainable solution as filmmakers face fewer avenues to reach audiences.

Beyond distribution, exhibitions present an equally critical hurdle, one that Odiete believes requires targeted funding and strategic investment to overcome.

According to the Nigerian Box Office Yearbook 2024, there are 102 cinemas and 333 screens in Nigeria, with one cinema serving approximately 4.5 million people. This limited number of cinema screens significantly restricts box office returns and undermines the profitability of many productions.

Odiete explains that these infrastructural gaps increase the industry’s overreliance on streaming platforms, which should be just one part of a broader, more sustainable distribution ecosystem.

“We still do not have enough screens. We still have structural issues which should be the focus. While films need funding, we also need investment in infrastructure like community cinemas to grow the exhibition space. This will allow us to generate returns at the box office before moving to other distribution windows,” Odiete explains.

She emphasised that streaming should not be the sole avenue for recovering investments. “We have cinemas, Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD), Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD), in-flight entertainment, and other avenues. Producers need to leverage the full ecosystem to maximize revenue.”

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With only 102 cinemas in Nigeria, competition for screen time is intense, and distributors often struggle to secure favorable slots for their clients. This challenge has driven many distributors into exhibitions.

“With the way the industry is structured, it is almost impossible to run a distribution business without an exhibiting arm. You always have to negotiate with cinema owners for screen time, but as a distributor, you also need control over screens to scale and ensure your producers get the numbers they expect. Whether by partnering with a cinema chain or owning screens, having an exhibition arm has become necessary,” Odiete explained.

Odiete suggests that stronger collaboration between distributors and exhibitors could help ease this challenge. “If we collaborate more as an industry, individuals like myself who did not initially want to venture into exhibition would be able to focus on core competencies. However, due to the industry’s structure, distributors need screens to negotiate with exhibitors effectively. It’s a give-and-take relationship. You secure some screens here and there and merge them into a whole. That’s how the industry works,” she said.

Odiete noted that before 2020, collaboration between distributors and exhibitors was minimal, but that is gradually changing. She asked stakeholders not to be driven by emotions but to set aside sentiments focusing on growth.

Despite the emergence of new streaming platforms, Odiete expressed concern about their long-term survival due to the capital-intensive nature of running such services. She stressed that funding is essential to help them acquire quality content.

“Local platforms need funding because acquiring content requires financial resources. Many of them operate on limited budgets, which affects their ability to secure premium content. The government should look into empowering local streamers because they play a crucial role in ensuring that producers monetize their content.”

On the evolving role of technology in filmmaking, Odiete encouraged industry players to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) rather than fear it. “AI is a blessing. When 5G came, people were skeptical, but eventually, they embraced it. The same happened with streaming, many thought it would threaten cinemas, but instead, it became an additional revenue stream. If we did not have streamers, how would we have recovered investments, given that we have only 107 cinemas in Nigeria and Ghana combined?”